Snorkeler, Mexico

Main Content

Snorkeler, Mexico

Photograph by Paul Nicklen

This Month in Photo of the Day: The Power of Photography

A snorkeling tourist floats in a cenote called Las Calaveras—“the skulls”—near Tulum. Local Maya got their drinking water here until about 30 years ago, when divers found bones. Archaeologists have recorded the remains of more than a hundred people, usually shrouded by the water’s primordial darkness.

See more pictures from the August 2013 feature story “Secrets of the Maya Underworld.”

There must be a Shakespeare reference in here somewhere, but I just can't find any about snorkeling.

I really like the lighting in this, but find it hard to believe that the skulls were not put there deliberately by the photographer - Paul Nicken. This removes the serendipity and spontaneity of the photo - which is a shame.